FRANCIS
,
GEORGE GRANT
(
1814
-
1882
),
business man and antiquary
.

The son of
JohnFrancis
and
MaryGrant
and a brother to
J. D.Francis
(q.v.)
, he was b. at
Swansea
in
Jan. 1814
, was educated at its grammar school, and spent the whole of his active life there. In
1840
he m.
Sarah
, the eldest daughter of
JohnRichardson
, a
Northumbrian
settled in
Swansea
; they had three sons. He d. in
London
21 April 1882
, but was buried in his native town.

He was ceaselessly
engaged in schemes for local improvements
, of which it has been said that they were
‘somewhat in advance of his time, and being always financially weak, met with an imperfect appreciation.’
His enthusiasm, in fact, outran his discretion, but nevertheless he accomplished much. He helped to found the
Royal Institution of South Wales
(still in existence) in
1835
, and presented to it his collections and his library. He was also a founder member of the
Cambrian Archaeological Association
in
1846
. The restoration of
Swansea's endowed grammar school
was largely due to him, and so was the
re-arrangement of the Corporation's archives
, and the preservation of
Oystermouth castle
. He was
mayor
of
Swansea
in
1853-4
, and raised and commanded the
1st Glamorgan Artillery Volunteers
in
1859
.

His
antiquarian
publications arose out of his local interests, and, being issued in small limited editions, are now extremely scarce. Among them may be mentioned:
Original Charters and Materials for a History of Neath and its Abbey
,
1845
;
The Free Grammar School, Swansea
,
1849
;
Charters granted to Swansea
,
1867
;
The Smelting of Copper in the Swansea District
,
1867
, with a second and enlarged edition in
1881
.